Trump weighs in on H-1B visas as feud among allies intensifies

Top line

President-elect Donald Trump reportedly said Saturday that he supports the H-1B visa program, siding with Elon Musk in a feud that has divided the Trump world as some of his far-right allies attacked the program as an extension of their anti-immigration position.

Elon Musk speaks with US President-elect Donald Trump at the launch of the sixth test … [+] flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

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Key facts

Trump told the New York Post that he had “always been in favor of visas,” which allow U.S. employers to hire foreign workers on a short-term basis for jobs that require “highly specialized knowledge” and are frequently used by the technology industry.

Trump reportedly said he had “many H-1B visas” on his properties, calling it a “great program.”

Trump spoke out on the issue amid a growing rift between his allies that was sparked when Trump announced Sunday that he had hired venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan as his senior policy adviser for artificial intelligence. Krishanan has advocated for eliminating caps on green cards and skilled immigration programs.

The conflict morphed into a broader debate over American workforce culture, race and immigration and intensified Friday and Saturday, with Musk doubling down on his defense of the program, writing on despicable fools must be removed from the Republican Party, root and branch.” rod” in response to a post from right-wing commentator Scott Adams that “MAGA is taking cues from Democrats on how to lose elections and still feel good about yourself.”

Musk later clarified that he was referring to “those in the Republican Party who are hateful, unrepentant racists.”

Trump ally Steve Bannon also dedicated two of his “War Room” podcasts released Saturday to the issue, lambasting the H-1B program and Silicon Valley and calling the visa program an “economic and financial scam.” with “a dark underpinning of hatred toward Americans.” citizens and our beloved Republic.

Bannon said he had “total respect” for Musk, but challenged him to back up his claims that his companies rely on H1B visas by releasing data on “every engineer hired on H1B and proving that the Americans could not fulfill these roles.”

Crucial quote

“The reason I am in America with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,” Musk, born in South Africa, on X. “Take a big step back and F—K YOURSELF in the face. I will wage war on such a matter as you cannot understand. »

Contra

Trump was not always as supportive of H-1B visas as he claimed to the New York Post. During his 2016 campaign, he called the program “very bad” and “unfair” to American workers and increased restrictions on H-1B applications as president. The Biden administration earlier this month issued a new rule aimed at making the program more accessible to employers by simplifying the application process and giving employers more latitude in determining eligibility.

Key context

Besides Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and venture capitalist David Sacks also defended Krishnan and the H-1B program against attacks by far-right Trump supporter Laura Loomer. She called Krishnan’s hiring “deeply troubling” and said “allowing executives of major tech companies into Mar-A-Lago would be the death of our country.” Isn’t it? Trump sided with Musk on Saturday as the two deepened their alliance. Politicians and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have watched what they say is Musk’s growing influence over the new Trump administration, leading some of Trump’s critics to take jabs at him by suggesting that Musk is a sort of shadow president. Earlier this month, Musk effectively killed the Republican government’s initial spending plan when he criticized the bill in a series of tweets, leading Trump to echo Musk’s concerns hours later and send the Republicans back to the drawing board. Trump hired Musk and Ramaswamy to lead a new Department of Government Effectiveness, and Musk was the largest donor of the 2024 election cycle, giving more than $250 million to help elect Trump, who rejected Trump’s blows. “President Musk”.

Tangent

In addition to technology companies using H-1Bs to hire engineers and other similar jobs, the program is used across a wide range of industries, including architecture, medicine, education, business, law, theology and the arts. The United States issues 65,000 visas each year, plus 20,000 more to workers with a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. university. More than 700,000 people held H-1B visas in 2023, according to the American Immigration Council. They are valid for three years and can be extended for up to six years.